In a follow up to the article a couple of days ago about DC Comics relaunching all their books with a #1 on their cover as well as a new creative team and altercations DC yesterday announced the first 10 of their September launches as well as creative teams attached to them.
Geoff Johns, one of comics’ greatest storytellers, reunites with GREEN LANTERN and BRIGHTEST DAY collaborator Ivan Reis to bring you a thrilling new take on the fan-favorite hero of the sea in AQUAMAN #1. The cover to issue #1 is by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.Anyone want to put down your bet on how long until Hawkman, Mr. Terrific, and Captain Atom are canceled? Because really, a Mr. Terrific ongoing?!?
A team of internationally-drafted superheroes fight each other and their bureaucratic supervisors as much as they do global crime in JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1 from writer Dan Jurgens and artist Aaron Lopresti. The cover to issue #1 is by Aaron Loprest
Captain Atom has all the power in the world, but no one gives a shit about CAPTAIN ATOM #1.
Batman writer Tony Daniel will team up with artist Philip Tan for THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1. Carter Hall’s skill at decoding blah blah blah.. NO ONE CARES ABOUT HAWKMAN!
Rising superstar Francis Manapul, fresh off his acclaimed run on THE FLASH with Geoff Johns, makes his comics writing debut in THE FLASH #1, sharing both scripting and art duties with Brian Buccellato. The Flash knows he can’t be everywhere at once, but what happens when he faces an all-new villain who can? The cover to issue #1 is by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.
Also, Dan Jurgens on JLI? Fucking seriously?
You're telling me that we went through 24 issues. TWENTY FOUR god damned issues to set up a JLI ongoing, and when it launches they replace nearly half of the characters and the creative team? The mind reels back in horror and shock at such stupidity. I simply don't understand it.
Sure, I guess August General-in-iron is a member making it more of an international justice league, but this whole fact that Jurgan's is writing it has pretty much killed my nostalgia for the title.
Not only does he get to shit up JLI, But Jurgens is also on Green Arrow. Since when is he a superstar artist? Again, another 90's artist in a brave new DC world.. There's no way that these can be ongoing titles. Can they? Tony Daniel and Philip Tan on the same book? Ha! Talk about a shit storm. It's as if they worked their hardest that they could in order to come up with the worst creative team possible.
Did they seriously put names in a hat for the creative teams? So instead of bringing fresh perspectives in with guys like Brian Clevinger, they're just dumping that idea which sounded so fresh and interesting and playing twister with the same group of people that put them in this rut in the first place?
Because that's what they are doing with this. The whole reason why this relaunch/"reboot" happened was because of poor sales on those other titles that weren't Green Lantern and Batman. So you're shaking things up by simply putting those same people who drove readers away on different books?
Gah?
I'm really unsure about Azzarello on Wonder Woman. I love 100 Bullets but god damn, him writing Superman: For Tomorrow was just so god awful. Nothing on this list really makes me in any way excited for the future of DC.
So the big team-up between Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver that they've been building up to for forever is Firestorm? Really? I seriously don't see Simone and Sciver on Firestorm attaining the same level of creative success on this as Clevinger would have.
It just really blows that that is what we're getting instead of Clevinger. I've never seen Van Sciver as a writer. I do have to wonder if he's able to wright anything besides right-wing conspiracy ideas on his facebook.
Based on some of the stupid shit that Ethan post on Facebook, I'm betting Jason and Ronnie will have differing political views and this will cause all sorts of problems between them when they are Firestorm. Can you guess which one voted for Obama?
It'll be like the odd couple of crime fighting. I can see it now, Jason will refuse to support Israel so Ronnie turns them into salt while they're Firestorm, just like he did to Jason's girlfriend. Roll laugh track. Okay, it wont actually be like that but I'm going to venture a guess that it would be a much better thing if it was.
Or maybe Ronnie will refuse to transmute anything until Jason shows him his birth certificate. Their much talked about debate will be about which pre-1970's actor they're going to send a DVD cover to in order to get it signed.
As for the god awful character design of this Anti-Monitor looking beast. Look at little closer at the image.
I think we've seen that before.
Well then, what do you know. I wonder what the Lantern logos were taken from. Over all the whole character looks pretty fucking terrible. It sort of, kind of reminds me of Holocaust from X-men Age of Apocalypse.. but done no better than it was in the 90's.
And if they were trying hard to reinvent themselves for a hip and younger youth dealing with modern day world issues, why the fuck are they rebooting characters and essentially giving us the Justice League line up of Superfriends? Oh wait, because it's Geoff Johns behind all this. The whole thing just seems like putting a new coat of paint on a car from the 50's.
But hey, maybe DC is getting the really crappy announcements out of the way first before the really awesome stuff.. right? Because did they really expect anyone to give a shit about a New Captain Atom series?
Though I am hearing rumors that Darwyn Cooke is going to be looking at taking a big project. That would be the news I would be waiting for.
But hey, what else did they announce today in their big news? How about some pricing information for the digital content? Including a "Combo" for Justice League #1
Both digital and print editions of DC’s comics will have parity pricing for the first four weeks of release; thereafter, the digital titles drop in price down to our standard 1.99 digital price point. Oversized issues, including JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, will start at $3.99 and drop to $2.99 after four weeks.
Wait. No, that's the exact opposite of what you want to do.
Why on earth would I pay more for a license to look at the comic I just bought on the internet? They should have included the digital copy free with the first issue as a promo. If they price many or all of their #1's at $3.99 they can kiss goodbye all those who are mildly curious readers. There's no incentive for me to drop $4 on just "Trying out" a book. What exactly were they thinking?
This whole marketing stand point is a major flaw. Hard copy should come with a digital code and starting the books at $3.99 and $4.99 isn't going to appeal to new customers at all. Hell, I doubt you'll even appeal to old timer comic fans at that price point.
Even if it says that only "oversized" issues will start at $3.99, are all the #1's going to be oversized? What the fuck ever happened to HOLDING THE LINE AT $2.99? Why can't they copy their own company and do a $1 #1's? Is it so hard to understand people are more likely to try something new if it's less of a financial commitment?
If someone wanted to try out all 52 issues at $3.99, that is a total of $207.48 without tax. That's way too much to spend on comics in a given month. Charging $3.99 for a single issue you aren't even sold on is not the way you get new people into comic books.
I just can't fathom paying the same price for a digital comic as I do for a physical one. If they were cheaper it was possible that I'd take a chance and read the first issue of a new creative team.
So between the pricing, EVS with a god awful looking Firestorm and Jurgens on JLI, this whole scheme is going in the wrong direction.
At the very least the Green Lantern books don't seem to be tainted too much by this reboot.
GREEN LANTERN #1
Geoff Johns has been charting the adventures of Hal Jordan and the GREEN LANTERN Corps since GREEN LANTERN: Rebirth, collaborating with such major artists as Ethan Van Sciver, Darwyn Cooke, Prentis Rollins, Marlo Alquiza and Mick Gray.
This fall, Johns reunites with artists Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy, as the series begins anew with GREEN LANTERN #1 with cover by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. Together they will continue to thrill readers and expand the Green Lantern mythos.
Change is coming. But set aside your fear. It’ll be worth the wait.
Additional titles include:
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
When deadly conflicts emerge across the universe, it’s up to Guy Gardner, John Stewart and an elite Green Lantern strike force to keep the peace.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1 will be written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. The cover to #1 is by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy.
GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW GUARDIANS #1
Who are The New Guardians?
The power of Rage, Avarice, Fear, Will, Hope, Compassion and Love combine to be the most powerful (and colorful) team in the corps under the leadership of Kyle Rayner. Beware their power . . . and their volatility!
GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW GUARDIANS #1 will be written by Tony Bedard and illustrated with cover by Tyler Kirkham and Batt.
RED LANTERNS #1
Going solo. Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps return in their own series, battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable. This Lantern Corps takes no prisoners, they are judge, jury and executioners!
RED LANTERNS #1 will be written by Peter Milligan with art and cover by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter.
Though this confirmation of the existence of the corps as similar to as we know it, as well as Kyle being in there is very much confusing. If they are going to reboot Superman to be a younger hero, does that mean that Doomsday never killed him? The fall of Hal and Kyle's take over was so heavily tied to the death and return of Superman storyline that it would make no sense.
Even if they managed to explain away the events of GL happening without Superman, it still is silly to reboot and de-age some characters but leave others with a mostly business as usual continuity. Then again, the unaffected characters are all ones that Johns had heavy involvement with over the last few years, so that's explanation enough, I suppose.
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